Base for reversible folding beds



(No Model.)

G. BRAND. BASE EOE REVERSIBLE FOLDING EEES.

No. 585,888. Patented Mar'. 19, 1895.

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BASE FOR REVERSIBLE FOLDING BEDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 5.? .r,88`6,l dated March 19, 1895. Application led September 12, 1894. Serial No. 522,796. (No model.)

To all whom itmay concern.-

Beit known that I, GEORGE BRAND, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brooklyn,in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Base for Reversible Folding Beds, of which the following is a specification. My invention relates to an improvement in bases for reversible folding-beds in which the bed is combined with another article of furniture such as a bookcase, or combined bookcase and desk or a cabinet or wardrobe. This combination produces a heavy piece of furniture and, inasmuch as it is necessary to reverse it morning and evening to make the book-case accessible during the day and the bed at night, it is necessary to rovide suitable means for easily making such reversal. Some of these combination articles of furniture are simply provided with casters and are intended to be rolled around on the oor. These are very diflicult things to handle and when placed on a carpet it becomes almost impossible to roll them about and they soon ruin the carpet. Others are provided with stationary bases between which and the body portions are extensible tracks along which the body portion must be drawn before or in the act of reversing it.

The object of my invention is to provide base and so connect thereto the body portion of the combined bed and bookcase or similar the reversal.

article that said body portion may be easily and readily reversed without the use of eX- tensible tracks or any intermediate part that must be manipulated before, during or after To reverse said bed and case when mounted on my improved base it is only necessary to take hold of it at one end or at the front and turn it on the base, the base being provided with anti-friction devices and with guides which make the reversal a very easy matter. 'p Y To this e'nd my invention consists in the combination in a reversiblearticle of furniture, of a base provided with anti-friction devices between it and the body portion of said article, and means for directing said body portion in its reversal and at the same time retaining it upon the base.

It further consists in the construction and combination ot' parts as hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the drawings which form a part of` the speciticationz-*Figure 1, is a front view, with a portion broken away, and Fig. 2, is a vertical transverse .section showing my improved base as applied to a combined cabinet and folding-bed. Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6, are diagrammatic plans showing the combined case and bed in different positions upon the base. Fig. 7, is a detail of a form of guiding stud.

A, indicates the body portion of an article of furniture to which I have shown my im, proved base applied. B, represents the said base; O, anti-friction devices between the base and body portion; D, the central guiding stud, and E the lateral stud.

For the anti-friction devices I prefer to'use casters which I mount in the base so that their rollers shall bear against the bottom of the body portion or case. I may, however, use other sorts of anti-friction devices and may mount the same upon the case s'o that they shall roll upon the base.

In order to direct the case in its reversal and at the same time to retain it upon the base, I form grooves in the said base into which the studsD and E, project. One of these grooves as F, receives the stud E, which for convenience in description I have termed the lateral stud while the other groove G, receives the stud D, which I have termed the centralstud. The groove F, extends from one end of the base to the other and has its middle portion curved toward the rear side of the base. This groove I have also shown undercut as seen in Fig. 2, for the purpose of receiving an enlargement or head formed upon the stud E. as shown in Figs. l and 7. This head may be omitted as the case in all of its positions has it center of gravity over the base and is in no danger of falling over, but to insure against its being pulled over by careless persons when reversing it, I prefer to use the undercut groove and headed stud. In Fig. 1, the head is formed on stud E, by simply securing a washer upon its lower end. In Fig. 7, I have shown the stud E", as provided with a swiveled cross-head carrying anti-friction rollers H, which shall fit in the undercut of groove F. About the studs D IOD and E, I place a collarat I, which shall act as an anti-friction device between 4the studs and the edges of their respective grooves. In Fig. 7, a similar collar is shown at I.

The groove G, as shown, consists of two intersecting curved grooves which are located near the middle of the base. In the normal position, that is with the bed-side of the case turned to the wall, the studs D and E, occupy the positions indicated in Fig. 3. As the case is moved in the act of reversing it, stud D, traverses the right hand portion of groove G, until it reaches the intersection of the two portions of said groove when it rests there and acts as the pivotal center while stud E, traverses the curved portion of groove F, as seen in Fig. 5. Then when stud E, reaches the end of the curve in groove F,'it acts as a center while the stud D, traverses the left hand portion 'of groove Gr, stud E, meantime traveling the short straight portion vof groove F, as the case assumes the position shown in Fig. 6. It will be noticed that said straight portion of groove F, is nearer tothe front side of the base than the corresponding Vstraight portion at the other end of :the groove, and also that the left hand portion of groove G, is shorter than the right handportion. This'it will be observed provides for drawing-the case slightly forward so that the projection on the front thereof shall not strike tlie wall and for definitely locating the case vwhen it has reached the limit of its reversal.

With a base thus 'constructed it may, as will be seen from the drawings be :placed close against the -wall and the case `reversed without striking the wall or without'the base having to be moved therefrom.

I have shown the base provided with a molding about itsedge to hide the anti-friction devices. I havealso shown the base solid with grooves formed therein, but I may obviously constructitof `thinner material mounted upon vcleats or suitable ycross pieces cutaway at vthe points where the heads of Ithe studs' shall pass or I may form the base of a 'single plain piece and mount upon it suitable rails or bars which shall form the grooves F andG.

`rObviously the construction of the base may be greatly eha-ngedwithout departing from the gist of t-he invention which resides in the manner of forming and locating the grooves so that'the case may be reversed upon the1 base without employing any intermediate mechanism that would require manipulation before, during or after the reversal of the case.

reverse it.

I have shown the 4base provided `with 'aprojection in front opposite the middle thereof'- for receiving a caster outside of the intersection of the two portions of groove G. This I do not deem essential. The base might be straight in front as well as in the rear. I have also shown the case as provided with drawers in a slight projection at the bottom andwhilethis affords a means of broadening the base with respect to the case and throwing the center'of gravity thereof well back of the front edge of the base yet this feature may be omitted.

In certain combinations of articles of furniture with a folding bed I may, as is already done with furniture of this sort, place a weight in the case at apoint that shall always be over the base and thereby provide against any danger of the case toppling over in the act of reversal.

What 1I claim as my invention is- 1. The combination with the reversible body portion of an article vof `furniture to be reversed about a `shifting center, of a noneXtensible base'therefor provided with a guiding groove extending longitudinally thereof andanother guiding groove located at the middle ofthe base and extending transversely thereof, casters mounted between the base and body portion, a stud projecting 'from the center of the body portion and traveling in the transverse groove, and a-stud projecting from said body'portion near one side thereof and ltraveling in the longitudinal groove, as and for the'purpose specified.

2. The combination of the base provided with a groove extending from'one end of the base to the other the middle portion of which curves toward one side of the base and with another -groove forming two intersecting curves 'andlocated'at the middle of the base, and a reversible body provided `with downwardly projecting studs fitting `into said grooves for directing and retaining said body upon the base.

3. The combination with the reversible body portion of an article of furniture to be reversed about ashifting center, of a non-'extensible `base therefor ycommensurate therewith and provided with a curved guiding groove extending longitudinally thereof and with a transverse `.curved guiding groove, casters `secured .in the base 4and extending their rollers `upwardly against the body portion, and studs project-ing from the body `portion into said .grooves and traveling therein for the-purpose of guidi-ng said body portion in its reversals.

4:. The combination with a base provided with an undercut groove and a body mounted to turn thereon, of a stud secured to said body and provided `with 'aswiveled cross-head itting in said groove "and having 4anti-friction rollers thereon, engaging with the undercut surface 'of said groove and ran anti-friction collar on said stu'd for engagement with the edges of said groove.

5. In an articleof furniture,the combina- IOO IIO

tion of the base provided with a curved guide Signed at New York, in the county of New extending longitudinally of the base and With York and State of New York, this 11th day of another guide formingtwointerseeting curves September, A. D. 1894.

and extending transversely of the base, and GEORGE BRAND. 5 a; reversible body mounted on said base and Witnesses:

. adapted to be turned thereon under the con- WM. H. OAPEL,

trol of said guides, substantially as set forth. THOS. F. CONREY. 

